Oscar nominations 2025: Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist and Wicked lead the pack

So then, the Oscar nominations. This annual event provides a fascinating narrative and mark of popular taste, and also a strong annoyance, given its domination of film discourse and the long, unending slog that constitutes “award season”. 

But it’s in film journalists’ nature to rank, rate and identify what exactly we liked over a given year, collating which titles really resonated, so maybe the Academy Awards are as good a platform as any. 

The most eye-catching story on nominations morning yesterday - postponed of course due to the California wildfires - was the dominance of Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, an unlikely but clearly popular frontrunner with 13 nominations. Usually, consensus on Oscar favourites has very visible signs; for Audiard’s film, there’s a strange disjuncture between the industry’s wider embrace of the film, and the backlash it’s received from social media and critical notices, which of course act as vital feedback to the industry. On Letterboxd - an important barometer now, especially for millennial and Gen Z film fans - the film has a ratings average of just 2.5 out of a possible five (and I suspect it could decrease further), although its political incorrect grasp on trans issues may be influencing this. Still, the film deserves credit, and its strengths are inarguable; it undeniably works in its bold and muscular manner, offering real stylistic pizazz and an original mesh of elements (narco-thriller, musical, queer drama). It may not be “great”, but it is cinema. 

The Brutalist and Wicked reached a happily contrasting joint-second place with 10 nominations. Wicked - the sole Best Picture nominee from the list I haven’t seen - caters to a wide audience, one that perhaps feels alienated by the dourer trends in contemporary cinema. And it affirms the endless relevance of the original 1939 Wizard of Oz, also in mind due to the recent passing of David Lynch, one of its greatest fans. Regarding The Brutalist, now it’s finally on UK general release, it’ll be fascinating to see if audience reaction matches the critical hosannas. Were we too enthusiastic about it?

Conclave and A Complete Unknown have the joint-third largest nomination total; some thought the former would perform better, and challenge Emilia Pérez as one of the most likely Best Picture winners. But I can say with no snooty condescension that it’s a really entertaining movie, deserving of its place high in the pecking order - and it clearly won’t be the last we hear of the very able and versatile Edward Berger. A Complete Unknown is a solid, workmanlike film on one of the most interesting musicians to ever live, but could’ve been executed far worse. 

What’s known as “phase two” in awards campaigning now starts, beginning the final furlong to the awards ceremony in West Hollywood on Sunday March 2nd, emceed this year by the popular US late night star Conan O’Brien. It’s tradition in the UK for film hacks and Oscar obsessives to stay up till the bitter hours, and the long, ad break-elongated show has become more watchable and better-paced in recent years. After all, as the cheesy saying goes, it is Hollywood’s Biggest Night.